Method and apparatus for manufacturing ice



March zo, 1951 FIELD 4 2,546,092

METHOD AND APPARATUS. FOR MANUFACTURING ICE Filed May 16, 1945 5Sheets-Sheet 1 wr KO 5 @D \w`\ (C I LQ ll'l'llll ll l I lll I I I ""'I fl III Il III Q|H| l Il c z7 ITVEN" ros Le BY j ATTO EY' March 20, 1951c. FIELD 2,546,092

METHOD AND APPARATUS FoR MANUFACTURING IUE Filed May 16, 1945 5Sheets-Sheet 2 44 A A i Q H0 @H6 H2 /3079 @NA/@www ATTORNEYS NVENTOR.ras' 'L'ec March 20, 1951 c. Flr-:LD 2,546,092

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ICE Filed May 16, 1945 5Sheets-Sheet 5 NVENTOR. C7055? fyi-Zal /84 f @mi AT ORVEYS Patented Mar.20, 1951 UNIT EDl PATENT O F FICE` METHOD:AND:APPARATUSY FORMANUFACTURING i ICE Crosby'^Fi'eld,` Brooklyn; N. Y.) assignor toFl'akice'A Corporation; Brooklyn, N.` Y., a corporation of'Vv l lThis`invention relates tothecongealing *ofv li'quids, and more in particulartoa'method andape' parat'us for freezing fi'ui'ds`,such`.asV water,fruit juices, milk, creamffmill of magnesiaor the like, into solid orthick'ewalled bodies suchas cylinders.

An object of this invention is to provide-aneth: cient and dependablemethod-.andl apparatusfor congeali'ng liquids in aminimum of't'ime. A.further object is to provide-for. thebuilding.' up ofi relatively largebodiesV of' ice from smaller bodiesk vide. for the. preservationbycongel'ationof ma? terials suchlas liquids and,semifsolidffoods: in. anx efiicientand dependablemannen may form inv lesshthan auminute. andrthe 4`next layer of the `same'thickness-mayv form within two-- 25 takelas long `as twentyhour-s.. Waterf'icerhasfminutes,tbut a layer oficeifour inches `thick may been produced commerciallyinthnsheetszand inlfact, .certain apparatus which. produces-this type of ice has enjoyed.considerable commercial-.success'. This typeoficeisfin-smallpiecesfwithtair between them and is'ideal forcertain uses;V`Thisl system of freezingxis-Veryrapid;- Which makesfit.

economicalin the use'of'the apparatusand in power consumption, audit-is'idealfor-freezing' certain liquidnandvsemiesclidifoods;l That is, the

foods arefrozen without damagef, and-theyI are well preserved duringstorage, ory when preferredy they may be usedI immediately intheir'f-rozen. condition.

However, under some. circumstances, it iis desirable' to provide large'ypieces ofvicefwhich are'- either thick-walledcr-are solid incross-section. For example,` when fruit-4 juicesL aref'beingsfrozen,

itis desirable to exclude air from'. them becausea exposure toAairresrrltsiinr' deterioration 'of thefruitA .-f

vuices and impairs'the keepingfquali-ties..` Therefore, thefreezing-of.fruit'juices"into:` small thin' piecesisundesi-rablezbecause of the? extensive sur'- face whichfisvexposedto theainI Furthermore,

when products arevtorbezstoredfcir-shipped?, itis l desirableA toV packthem' -innapmini'munr of, space-,5 and the: inclusiont ot air increases'the' fvelume" of the frozen product. Forcerta-in usesofwvater'lice ityis f. desirable to provid-ef relatively largevr pieces;y for example;with' certa-'iria typesl of. refrigerator? 10" in a practical manner..Afurth'erobject is toprof 'which have water as their main constituent.

ticular to such a body which, is circularincross-V section whether solidor hollow.

In` accordance withY the vpresent invention, iceA-is formed inthinlayersupontwo or more adjacentfreezing surfaces,` andtheice isquicklyremoved from vtheireezing. vsurfacesand `the layersare immediately movedtogether face-to-face, orA

nested The removalvof theicefrom the freezing surface and thepositioning of the pieces faceto-face is. sorapidthat the centralportionsiof the ice bodies are;still sub-cooled with the result thatregelation takes place, thus bonding` the adjacent surfaces of the ice.layers and forming. a single body of ice. been-.in direcrfcontact` withthe freezing surface'is greatly sub-cooled, whereas thersurface infcontact with the-liquid issub-cooled very little, if any, because thesub-coolingcomes-from the transfer of heat from this surfaceintoltheice. pieces are detached, the ice surface which has beerrinVcontact with thefreezing surface takeson heatrapidly from itsnewlyfacquired. liquid film,

and this continues after the-pieces of ice havel been moved face-to-faceanduntil the single body of iceisformed.

Illustratively, a` number of cylinders of ice of different sizes-areformed, thesizes of the cylinders and' the wall thicknessesbeing suchthat the cylinders fit together with small clearances between-the outersurface -of each inside` cylinder and` the insidevsurface ofthecylinder'surroundt ing it. The cylindersare removed fromztheirrespectivefreezing surfaces simultaneously orv in predetermined timedrelationship, and they are moved to afn'ested position,one withinanother sof`` that after the regelation, a substantially solid cyl'.-

f ind'er of ice isobtained. Iilachy cylinder of li'celias its two endsso` tapered that the" cylinder whichv enters it is automaticallyv guidedinto place, and

yetthe outer surface. of the outer cylinder is a true cylinder so that'the resulting. Ypieceof ice lmay be readily packaged and packed'. Inthedisi The. surface. of the ice which has` When thev cussion of theillustrative embodiments of the invention reference is made to thenesting of the ice cylinders and it should be noted that much of thisdiscussion also applies to the placing in faceto-face relationship ofsets of ice, of shapes other than cylindrical.

When desirable, the solid cylinder of ice may be refrozen in a mold withthe interstices at the ends and in the center filled with unfrozenliquid so that straight ends are provided on the solid frozen cylinder.By forming ice in this manner, a cylinder of any desired size or a wallof any desired thickness may be provided, it being understood that thenumber of cylindrical shells which are regelated together and the wallthicknesses of the individual shells are factors which may be varied inaccordance with the particular conditions and demands in use.

In the illustrative embodiments of the present invention, the system issimilar to the systems disclosed in my copending applications, SerialNo. 538,768, filed June 5,. 1941i, (issued as Patent No. 2,488,529 onNovember 22, 1949), and Serial No. 586,738, led April 5, i945. Forcertain details of construction and operation reference may be had tothese copending applications.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, arrangements of parts and in the several stepsand relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others,all as will be illustratively described herein, and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a partially schematic showing of apparatus incorporating thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l showing one freezing tube ofanother embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a top-plan view of the embodiment of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a partially schematic view similar to Figure 3 showinganother embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the freezing tube of another embodimentof the invention.

Referring particularly to Figure 1, a freezing tube 2 is formed by fourtube sections 4, 6, 8 and IS of different diameters but of Substantiallythe same length. The tube sections are joined together at theirrespective ends by metal rings l2 welded to the end surfaces of the tubesections. Imbedded in each ring i2 is a heating coil I3, and each ringi2 is enclosed in a heatinsulating rubber ring i 5. Freezing tube 2 issurrounded by an evaporator i4 which is of the flooded type and receivesliquid refrigerant from a condenser i6, and the gas refrigerant iswithdrawn and compressed by a compressor i8 driven by an electric motor2i). At the top, freezing tube 2 is open to a pan 22 from which theliquid to be congealed iiows down the inner walls of the freezing tubewhere it is frozen. The liquid supplied to the freezing tube which is inexcess of that frozen flows from the bottom of the freezing tube intothe bottom of a sump tank 24 and is returned by a motor-driven pump 26and a pipe 28 to pan 22.

The ice from freezing tube 2 is harvested in a manner disclosed in myabove-identilied copending applications; that is, the freezing tube issubjected to a sudden electrical shock of sufficient magnitude to freethe ice. Thus, the upper and lower ends of the freezing tube are con- :ein) nected to a copper bus bar 39 which forms With the freezing tube thesecondary winding of a transformer 32. Transformer 32 has an iron core34 and a primary winding 36 to which a source of A. C, voltage isconnected by closing a switch. When primary winding 36 is so energized,a current of very high value such as one thousand amperesflows throughthe secondary winding formed by bus bar 3l! and the freezing tube 2.This sudden now of current immediately frees the ice cylinders withinthe tube all in a manner discussed more fully below.

Normally the apparatus is operated in accordance with a timed cycle by atimer not shown. The liquid to be congealed is pumped into pan 22 bypump, 25 and flows down the inside walls of freezing tube 2. Therefrigerating effect causes thin layers of ice in the form of cylindersto form within the tube sections 4, B, 8 and l0, and heating oils i3limit the axial extent of the cylinders at their ends and also cause thecylinders to have interior tapers at their ends. After ice layers of adesired thickness have formed, the current is turned on to winding 36 sothat the secondary winding current fiows through the freezing tube andthe ice cylinders are freed.

Extending down the axis of the freezingl tube and supported from the topis a plastic rod 38, and in alignment with the lower end of rod 38 is asmall cone 49 supported on a removable screen 42. Screen 42 closes thelower end of the freezing tube, and as the Various cylinders of ice arefreed they fall onto the screen, the arrangement being such that thecylinders automatically rest one within another as shown. That is, asthe outer cylinder Hic from tube section lil falls down, it is of suchthickness that it snugly receives the cylinder 8a from tube section 8,the nesting being facilitated by the interior taper on cylinder lila. Atthe same time, the smallest cylinder 4a from tube section 4 slides downrod 38 and due to the inner taper on its lower end, it stands on end oncone 49, and the cylinder 6a from tube section E falls down and isguided in between cylinders 4a and 8a. This freeing and nestingoperation is carried on with such rapidity that the ice cylinders arestill sub-cooled When they have become nested, and they automaticallyregelate into a solid body of ice. After the ice has been freed from thefreezing tube, the current is turned off from winding 36 and screen 42is automatically moved down to discharge the regelated ice cylinder. Anew freezing cycle immediately starts.

In the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3, seven freezing tubes 44 (seeFigure 2) of the flooded type are provided, and each is built up inthree pipe sections 45, 48 and 50, which pipe sections have individualinterconnected evaporator chambers 45, 47 and 49 surrounding them. Eachtube section provides a freezing zone which is limited by heating coils52 surrounding the freezing tubes and embedded in the refrigerantchamber walls at the ends of the tube sections. The lower end of thefreezing tube is closed by a plug 54, and the upper end opens into anannular tank 56 which has a liquid level indicated at 58.

Referring to Figure 3, the seven freezing tubes 44 are positioned in anannular bank, a-nd the harvesting operation is carried on in a mannersimilar to that disclosed in my copending application Serial No.586,738. Accordingly, near the upper end of each freezing tube 44(Figure 2) and beneath tank 58 is a copper segment 69 and similarly atthe bottom of the freezing tube is a segamamos@ ment-512.:Thesefsegrineritsare:brazed,toftiietubex wallsrand arera'dapte'tto'/befengaged-l respective* lyz'by faifipairsof distributortfarms maand68" which arezrigidly .carried 1frotatable` copper'- sha-rt 683A ShaftBs'iforni seconidar'ynwinding of current of high value flows through thesecondary circuit :for Y freeinggthe icewasI in the embodiment ofFgure`l.l

At Vth'eftopofl the.freezingftubeyand in. alignment therewith duringthexhar'vesting operation,

is'fa perforated platel Whichiis caivried-by an arm` 18 hingedfatli toaheadi'fpcarried byzand.

keyedtofthe top .votishaft563:V Thus; vwhen the; harvestingcur'rentisfturned'on andthe cylinders of lice inthe.pipeisectionslarezfreed; thefcylinders. oat toward vthe"'surfaccio'f.tirent/aterv in-to'ehgage'-A men-twith piatei- 'I5 ,r as: shown the"ice cylinders` are^:'h'elfd Y: in; l place because' they only? partiallyemerge.fromutheupperl end'iot the. freezing tube.H

The-inneritaperforreach-en'd lofreachr of the cylin-l ders facilitatesthe nesting..ofthecylindcrsone Within anotherrahd causes the smallestcylinder tol center: itself :on :a downwardly-projecting cone82-caifriedriby plate.v 16.1. As inthe embodiment `of Figuretl, thefreeing-and:nestingroperations,are

completed iii such a'shortf time that the cylinders are still.su'b-'zcooledAV atfthetime.v the cylinders come 'to rest in nestedposition.- Thusfregelation takes: place;` and the" nestedlcylinders areiforined intox a' sol-id. icebody;- LIinrnediat-ely thereafter,

shaf-tf6'8 ris rotatedsu-fciently tomove plate l@ from over'ztheLfreezi-ngi-tube-,f and: the; bodynot ice .l

floatsto theasurface-.of the liquid Aintankli':

Asldsclo's'ed moreP full-yi in'my copending appli--` l cation, SerialNo.lv586-,.738,tanlc 56- (Figurer) is suppliedvwitnliquid to becongealed-.through a pipe90` controlled by-a float-valve.assembly, in` frotates step-by-step: 'in` a-counterclockwiser directionisoithat theharvesting operation carried" on onsthevariousireezing tubesheadl'l alsorotates carryingwithit armllBand plate 44] Thus, plate T6 alsoomovesaroundromeorie tube tothe next and is; supportedlon .ca-m surface 86 .byroller 88.V However', the weight of platell issufliclent to overcome thetendency of the ice cylinders to lift it; andthe ice vcylinders aretherY `"r held in their nesting position until the platlismoved 'tothenext freezingtube. Atthe proper place .with

respect foto partitions Qand; car'n surface 36 naszarse inittocauseroller 88 to ride up: and" lift plate 'I6 over the partitions. i

vThe ice is remoyeqyfrornxtanlr'tby" acomf bine'd poshi'ngand. dumpingscoop otiwhiori structurally of 'the' type disclosed' k"in my oopenol=ing" application, SerialY No`:` A5to-738. L scoop' es is rockablycarried by a stu'dfshaft'WU extending' from an' overhangingbracloe'til?V onneadlfif Scoop 98 is shown in the ice-dumping position,but when' inthe"itieescoopirig-position:3 the` 'forward end' H16of"'the"scoop is lowered beneath'the iovei ofiiqoiuj"in y tank te? The;trading one or" this scoop" extends out' over 'the-side oftanliththeiffreezinglfftube their ransformer llawhich :has I arprima'ryzwindingI'2zand'anfiron1core 1,411 When?A current is supplied to the primarywinding F-2,;a-

side' of the: tama/.1 Scoop'- 98"v :carries partitions 9 aarrdfm Y InFigure 3gA` scoop 98 isshow-riA at the! endfofthefdumping'fopei'ation-,r and as head. I9" rotates conne tercl'ockwise fromr thefpositorr -s'how roller` I'Ihf'"l .rides-downen camI s i acess,and-"t efforwardi end of the scoopis'fi'rirriers'edinfitheliduid-'lin'thef tank; 'rho-rearter the scoopmoves aroundfthe forward 'end or :the `scoop' approaches partitioni 9455the :ice bodies are :pushed togetherzand: somev of? them :slide up .thescoop and.r mayeveni fall overthe` side` -oflthe tank;Vv However; attli'e side .oithe/` tank-is astationary chute lintdwhi'ch the"1 icebodies falli,V and as' the'zforwa'rd.endlofithe'scoop'f approachespartitioni194,-V this` forwarderid'is lifted,

Inl the" embodiment "of LFigure 4;. two cyliridricaliv banks of! Hoodedfreezing" tubes I I l)` `are enclosed bodies.

f projects above the top of' the'tank at IZB. Ad#

jacent-screen |22 and. at'the'fsideof ta'nk'lr a-chute 12S. VHinged tohead 19 thesarne man-- nei" a's is plate'lII-ll is a rake I'3'ilf'wliichhasfatop horizontal memberA and a plurality ofv downwar'dly projectingprongs `which' extend" into 'the liqu'idandnear thebotto'm oftankllIB.'These* prongs are sol spaced that,ias-the'frake isfniov'e aroundintrailin'g relationship to plate-I ISA'," ther' ice-bodies are movedahead of the`Ar rake. Asfpl'ate'- I I approaches screen I22\,T itiY isfliftedwoverthe screenlby'aroll'er and cam arrangernerittheisame.

as'isplate 76 in Figure 311 Wh'ehrak'e- I'SllapL preaches scr-'een |22sit rpushes thetic'e `bodies up v thev scr-een, and .theyfareideflectedbythescreenEV overtl'iezsidefof tank IIS and intoichute. t28. "The:`

I f4 so i-th'at itmo'ves fover.. theiv topf; of.' theerscreerr: and'dowirintcthe tankagainf.A The moving of' thier iceabodies .around :to:and *upv 'screen Il2 Zlis and? the` effect' of :this jet may" besuifllcientrto move somev iceE bodies from: the tank intol chute t28.:vv

In the embodiment i or! Figure: 55, the? freezingV tubelis iloodedzas intheieinb'odimrent'of Figures` 2 and '3; andthe' ice;A is floated.to-itheasurface'of the' water. The tube hastwo freezing'section`s,th`ere'ff beingi af large upper..sectionn l ll'fandf-:asmall? lower scoped andbonded together by a rubber ri'ngf541 Thek twotubes are substantiallyenclosedin ai steel cylinder |56, with the tubesections extending beyond the cylinder at the ends. The tube andcylinder are rigidly mounted at the top and bottom respectively by apair of flanges each formed by a flange member |58 threaded onto the endof cylinder |56 and a flange member |60 enclosing the end of thefreezing tube and fitting over the end of the cylinder. A plurality ofbolts, not shown, extend through holes in the flanges to clamp theflange members together and to attach them to a suitable rigid support.

Brazed to the supper end of tube |56 is a copper conducting block |62and similarly attached to the lower end of tube |52 is a similar block|64. At the juncture of the two freezing tubes is a third conductorblock |55, which has an annular recess in which the lower end of tube|56 is irnbedded, ancl the block is brazed to both freezing tubes. Twotransformers |61 and |63 are provided which are of the type oftransformer 32 in Figure 1, transformer |61 having its secondary |1|connected between blocks |62 and |66, and transformer |69 having itssecondary |13 connected between blocks |66 and |64. The primary windingsof these transformers are supplied with current through a timer |15, andthe transformers are energized separately so that the ice is freedindependently from the two freezing tube sections.

Four heating coils |68 encircle the freezing tube sections at the twoends of the freezing zones; and current is supplied to each of theseheating coils continuously through a terminal |16 and another terminal(not shown). The major portion of the space within cylinder |56 isoccupied by rubber, either natural or synthetic, indicated at |12. Thisrubber forms packing seals at flange members |60 and forms at the upperfreezing tube section an evaporator section |14, and similarly atfreezing tube |52, an evaporator section |16. The two evaporatorsections are connected by a refrigerant conduit |18. Liquid refrigerantis supplied to the upper end of evaporator section |14 through a pipe|86 and gas refrigerant is withdrawn at the bottom of evaporator section|16 through a pipe |82. A tank (not shown) is provided at the top towhich the upper end of the freezing tube is open. The lower end of thefreezing tube is closed by a plug |84.

The freezing and ice harvesting cycle is similar to that of the otherembodiments. With the tube lled with the liquid to be congealed,refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator sections so that cylindricalice bodies are formed in the two freezing tube sections. After apredetermined time, transform-er |69, which is connected betweenconducting blocks |64 and |56, is turned on so that the ice body isfreed from freezing tube section |52. As this ice body starts to oat tothe top, it enters the ice body in the upper freezing tube section |50.Then, transformer |61, which is connected between contact blocks |62 and|66, is turned on, and the timing is such that the larger ice body infreezing tube section |50 is freed shortly after the smaller ice bodyenters the larger ice body. Thus, the larger ice body starts to move upwith the smaller ice body within it and the regelation action takesplace at once. When desirable, means is provided to stop the upwardmovement of the ice bodies before they emerge completely from thefreezing tube so that the ice bodies are held stationary in alignmentduring the regelation into a single ice body.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features ofthe above invention and as the method herein described might be variedin various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention,it is to be understood that all matter hereinabove set forth, or shownin the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. ln the art of congealing liquids, the steps of, congealing aplurality of similarly shaped thin bodies at a temperature below thecongealing temperature, supplying heat to the congealing surfaces at theedges of the thin bodies thereby to limit the sizes of the thin bodies,freeing the thin bodies and moving the thin bodies into faceto-facecontact relationship by the action of gravity with the intersticesbetween the thin bodies filled with the liquid while maintaining theinternal portions of the thin bodies in a subcooled condition, wherebythe thin bodies regelate together by congealing the liquid between thethin bodies by virtue of the internal sub-cooled condition of the thinbodies.

2. In the art of forming a cylinder of a congealed liquid, the steps of,iiooding a plurality of cylindrical surfaces which are of differentdiameters and are positioned vertically end-to-end, congealing on saidsurfaces a plurality of thinwalled cylinders of such different sizesthat they will t one within another with a thin liquid layer between themating surfaces, and positioning the cylinders one within another topermit regeiating action which congeals the liquid between the matingsurfaces and forms a solid body.

3. In the art of forming a solid body of ice, the steps of, congealing aplurality of bodies which are adapted to fit together with matingsurfaces which are substantially parallel, controlling the longitudinalextent of the bodies. freeing the individual bodies, and moving theminto adjacent relationship with their mating surfaces together and withthe interstices between the mating surfaces substantially filled withliquid, said freeing and moving operations being at such speed that thebodies regelate together by virtue of the sub-cooled condition of thebodies.

4. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of,congealing means to produce a plurality of congealed bodies which areadapted to t together in face-to-face relationship, means to supply heatto the congealing surfaces at the edges of said bodies whereby theextent of said bodies is controlled, and means to free the bodies andwith the parts being so constructed and arranged as to position thebodies into face-to-face relationship at a rapid rate whereby the bodiesregelate together.

5. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a plurality of tubesections of different diameters adapted to produce cylinders ofcongealed liquid which will nest one within another, means to supplyliquid to be congealed to said tube, means to cool the liquid and formcylindrical bodies within the tube, heating means to limit the lengthsof said cylindrical bodies, and means to free the ice bodies, with theparts being so constructed and arranged as to move the ice bodies intonested position with suicient speed to obtain the regelation of the icebodies into a single ice body.

6. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of, acylindrical bank of freezing tubes each of which is a continuous tubehaving different diameters at its ends and is adapted to form aplurality of ice bodies of different sizes which are adapted to nesttogether, means to free the ice bodies, and means to direct the icebodies into nested relationship with sufficient speed to permitregelation between the ice bodies into a single piece of ice.

7. A freezing tube comprising, a plurality of tube sections of differentdiameters positioned in end-to-end relationship, means connecting thevtubes together at their adjacent ends, and a plurality of heating unitscircling each end of each tube whereby the ends of the tubes may beheated continuously while the central portion of each tube is cooled toform ice therein.

8. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of, afreezing tube comprising a plurality of tube sections of differentdiameters positioned vertically in end-to-end relationship, means tomaintain said tube flooded with liquid to be congealed, means torefrigerate the tube to form individual ice cylinders within the varioustube sections, and means to free the ice comprising transformer means tosupply electrical currents individually to the Various tube sectionswhereby the ice bodies are floated to the top of the tube in nestedrelationship.

9. Apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the transformer means is aplurality of transformers corresponding in number to the number of saidtube sections, and a timer to regulate by a predetermined sequence thesupplying of current to the various tube sections.

10. In the art of congealing ice bodies, the steps of, `forming aplurality of ice cylinders of different diameters such that they willnest one within another, freeing the smallest ice body and utilizinggravity to move it into nested position within another, and freeing theice body in which it is nested in timed relationship such that the twobodies will be moved together.

11. In apparatus for forming congealed composite bodies, the combinationof, a congealing tube formed by a plurality of tube sections positionedin fixed end-to-end relationship with the largest tube sectionpresenting a congealing surface which is substantially the diameterdesired in the composite bodies to be formed and with each of the othertube sections presenting congealing surfaces of such diameter that abody formed thereon will nest within the body formed on the next largeradjacent tube section, means to supply liquid to the various congealingsurfaces, means to simultaneously cool said surfaces whereby bodies areformed thereon, means to impart heat to the tube sections at the endsthereof thereby to limit the lengths of the respective bodies, and meansto produce sudden heating effects in the various tube sections therebyto free the bodies.

12. Apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein the bodies are moved fromtheir respective surfaces.r upon which they are formed by the action ofgravity and are nested one within another with sufficient rapidity thatthey regelate together due to the sub-cooled condition of the interiorsof the bodies.

13. In apparatus for forming congealed composite bodies, the combinationof, a congealing tube formedby a plurality of tube sections verticallypositioned in fixed end-to-end relationship with the largest tubesection being uppermost and presenting a congealing surface which issubstantially the diameter desired in the composite bodies to be formedand with each of the other tube sections presenting surfaces 0f suchdiameter that a body formed thereon will nest within the body formed onthe next adjacent tube section, means to flood the various surfaces withthe liquid to be congealed, means to cool said surfaces whereby bodiesare formed thereon, means to impart heat to the tube sections at theends thereof thereby to limit the lengths of the bodies, and harvestingmeans to produce sudden heating effects in the various tube sectionsthereby to free the bodies.

14. Apparatus as described in claim 13 wherein the said harvesting meansheats the tube sections individually, and sequential control means tocontrol the freeing of the bodies whereby the lowermost body is freedfirst and it oats upwardly within the next higher body which is thenfreed and the two bodies float upwardly together.

15. Apparatus as described in claim 13 which includes, a rod projectingupwardly through said tube, and means positioned beneath the surface ofthe liquid to stop the bodies in their upward movement.

16. In apparatus for congealing composite bodies, the combination of, acongealing tube formed by a plurality of tube sections verticallypositioned in xed end-to-end relationship with the largest tube sectionlowermost and presenting an inner surface which is substantially thediameter desired in the composite bodies to be formed and with each ofthe other tube sections presenting surfaces of such diameter that a bodyformed thereon will nest within the body formed on the next adjacentlower tube section, means to ow a stream of liquid down the variouscongealing surfaces, means to cool said surfaces whereby bodies areformed thereon, means to produce sudden heating effects in the varioustube sections thereby to free the bodies, and means to collect thevarious bodies in nested relationship automatically at the bottom of thetube.

' CROSBY FIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 275,192 Goodell Apr. 3, 1883FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,357 Great Britain July 27, 186814,925 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1887

